Danielle Noce’s Brazilian Carrot Cake (Bolo de Cenoura)

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C) with a rack in the center. Butter a 10-inch (25cm) Bundt pan and dust with flour or fine, dry breadcrumbs, tapping out the excess.
2. To make the carrot cake: Pile the carrots, oil, eggs, and sugar in the blender. Blend until completely smooth. Pour the carroty mixture into a large bowl and sift the flour and baking powder over the top. Add the salt and fold in the dry ingredients with a spatula until no traces of flour remain.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 5 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 400°F (200°C) and continue baking for 30 minutes more, rotating the pan midway through baking, until a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean or with just crumbs clinging.
4. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a rack set over a rimmed baking sheet to finish cooling.
5. To make the glaze, once the cake is fully cooled, set up a double boiler (or a metal bowl set over a saucepan with an inch/2.5cm or so of simmering water). Add the chocolate, butter, and honey to the bowl and stir occasionally with a rubber spatula, until the glaze is well-melted and smooth. (Alternately, do this in 30-second bursts in the microwave, stirring between bursts till smooth.)
6. Spoon the glaze over the cake and leave it to set a bit before slicing and serving.
7. Store leftovers airtight at room temperature. If you don’t have a domed container and you don’t want to disturb the glaze, poke a few toothpicks in the top of the cake and drape plastic wrap over the top, tucking the edges beneath the cake.